Exhibition, tours celebrate decades of long-term physics, materials strength

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — In 1955, Penn State Professor of Physics Erwin W. Müller became the first person to see an atom. Using a field ion microscope of his own invention — a landmark advance in scientific instrumentation that magnified these building blocks of the universe more than two million times — Müller, for the first time, determined “the nature of one single atom seen on a metal surface and select from neighboring atoms at the discretion of the observer.”

Now, visitors to Penn State are invited to see the instruments that enabled such a breakthrough. These historic pieces of equipment will be formally unveiled on Sept. 5 during a “Celebration of Penn State’s Milestones in Physics” event and will be on display in Müller’s former office, 205 Osmond Lab, as well as in the lobby of Osmond Lab, at Penn State University Park.

Seeing tiny atoms led to big breakthroughs

Since Müller’s first viewing of an atom, atomic imaging technology has advanced such that individuals can now create three-dimensional reconstructions of materials and the atoms that make up these materials. Understanding the atomic properties of materials is essential for modern technologies such as semiconductors and material discovery, according to Mauricio Terrones, George A. and Margaret M. Downsbrough Head of the Department of Physics, Evan Pugh University Professor, and professor of chemistry and of materials science and engineering

“Nowadays, to be able to ‘see’ atoms is remembered as a major achievement in the field of microscopy,” Terrones said. “Müller’s work helped jumpstart a revolution in resolution. Since 1955, atomic resolution imaging has advanced to not only being able to visualize individual atoms, but also to perform electron microscopy to reveal the crystal structure of materials at the atomic scale, atomic spectroscopy to determine atomic-bonding and elemental compositions of materials, and surface reconstruction to visualize how atoms interact in 3D.”

Earlier this year, Penn State alumnus John Andrew Panitz, who received his doctorate in physics in 1969 for his work with Müller on the atom probe microscope, donated several original pieces of equipment that formed the foundation for atomic-level imaging and analysis made possible by atom probe microscopy today as well as a collection of Müller’s research materials to the Eberly College of Science.

Tour the historic equipment and today’s state-of-the-art facilities

This fall, the Eberly College of Science and Materials Research Institute (MRI) will host special tours for the public see this very early, groundbreaking technology as well as the modern version of the equipment: state-of-the-art atomic resolution microscopes at the Materials Characterization Lab (MCL).

On home football game Fridays between 3 and 5 p.m., visitors can tour the original, historic Müller equipment in Osmond Lab and then walk over to the lobby of the MRI entrance of the Millenium Science Complex to tour imaging equipment in the MCL, one of three core facilities in the MRI that fuel the interdisciplinary, life-changing innovations of Penn State’s materials research.

Tour dates include:

• Sept. 12
• Sept. 26
• Oct. 10
• Nov. 7
• Nov. 21

Tours will be provided by physics postdoctoral scholar Hannah Wood in Osmond Lab and David Fecko, director of MRI industry collaborations in the MCL, and will be supported by Eberly College of Science undergraduate student volunteers from the college’s Science LionPride organization.

A long-time national leader for materials research

“Penn State’s leadership in materials science is built on a proud legacy of groundbreaking research in physics, chemistry and other materials-focused fields. With state-of-the-art facilities and a deep commitment to hands-on research training, the University is well-positioned to drive the next innovation in materials research,” said to Tracy Langkilde, Verne M. Willaman Dean of the Eberly College of Science.

Langkilde added that Eberly College of Science researchers and Eberly-trained scientists have played a decades-long, pioneering role in the exploration and development of atomic-scale research and quantum science and are currently working to nurture this “second quantum revolution,” deepening understanding of the world and applying that knowledge to improve everyday life.

In the most recent U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) rankings, Penn State was number one for material science. The HERD ranks universities by research and development expenditures and is considered a sign of an institution’s contribution to the advancement of research in the United States. Penn State also ranked second in mechanical engineering, second in materials engineering and seventh in computer and information sciences.

Clive Randall, director of MRI and Evan Pugh University Professor and professor of materials science and engineering, emphasized Penn State’s unique, interdisciplinary approach and well-planned facilities and resources.

“Atomic imaging and chemical spectroscopy are just two examples of techniques that are vitally important for what we do in materials research,” Randall said. “Having on-site facilities like our Materials Characterization Lab takes our researchers to new levels of being able to understand compositional structure characteristics that are just so crucial to how we think about and build up new materials. One of our University’s research strengths is having more than 300 instruments operated by expert staff members to offer support for research, education and industry partnerships.”